Gripper mechanism.



E. W. COOPER. GRIPPBR MEGHA'NISM. APPLICATION 4FILED JULY 1, 1912.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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E. W. COOPER. GRIPPER. MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1, 1912.

1,132,241 Patented Mar. 16, 1915 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES.

am 0%@ WW E. W. COOPER. GRIPPEB. MEGHANISM. APPLICATION HLED JULY 1,1912.

1,1 32,241 Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

3 SHBETSFSHEET 3.

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i WITNESS'ES. dan

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELLIS W. COOPER, OF BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO R. 'HOE AND CO.,OF

NEW YORK,

N. Y., A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

GRIPPER MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

2b all w/wm it may Conce rn.'

Be it known that I, ELLIS W. COOPER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bloomfield, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Gripper Mechanisms,fully described and represented in the following specification and theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in gripper actuatingmechanisms for printing and similar machines.

In printing machines and in other machines where the sheets are handledby rotating carriers provided with grippers, such as cylinders, and inwhich the sheet is transferred from the grippers of one carrier to thegrippers of a coperating carrier, there is liability that the head ofthe sheet may be torn in the transfer due to the fact that the gripperson the carriers are at the time of the transfer moving in divergingpaths.

It is the object of this invention to produce a gripper actuatingmechanism which may be employed in connection with rotating sheetcarriers by which the sheet may be transferred from the grippers of onecarrier to the grippers of the other carrier without liability oftearing the head of the sheet.

-With this and other objects not specifically referred to in view. theinvention consists in certain constructions, and in certain parts,improvements and combinations as will be hereinafter fully described andthen specifically pointed out.

Referring to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a plan viewof the collecting cylinders of a printing machine embodying theinvention. Fig. 2 is a sectional diagrammatic View of the constructionshown in Fig. 1 illustrating the action of the gripper mechanism. Fig. 3is a view "milar to Fig. 2 but showing the parts in a different positionand also showing the gripper operating mechanism more fully. Figs. 4, 5and 6 are detail views illustrating successive positions of the grippersduring the transferring operation.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a rotating sheet carrier, thiscarrier being one of the usual collecting; cylinders of a printingmachine, this cylinder being mounted on a shaft 2 supported in themachine frame n the usual manner. The companion cylinder which incollecting receives the sheet from the carrier is indicated at 3, thiscylinder being mounted on a shaft 4. The gripper-s of the receiver 3 areindicated at 5, these grippers being mounted on a shaft 6. Thisshafttiis provided with an operating arm 7 carrying a roll 8 which isoperated in the usual manner by a cam 9 on the machine frame. Theconstruction so far described is a usual one, and it may be remarkedthat so far as the grippers on the cylinder 3 are concerned any suitableform of gripper operating mechanism may be employed.

In mechanisms constructed in accordance with the invention, the gripperson the cylinder 1 or the carrier which first receives the sheet anddelivers it to the receiver, will, on one revolution of the carrier,open to receive the sheet in advance of what may be termed the sheettaking line of the receiver, and on the revolution on which the sheet isdelivered, will open beyond the sheet taking line. By thus constructingthe grippers of the iirst cylinder they may be caused to substantiallyfollow during the sheet releasing operation the movement of the sheetreceiving surface of the cylinder to which the sheet is delivered.Further, in the best constructions embodying the invention, the gripperswill be operated by a single actuator. such as a cam, the position ofwhich is shifted between the sheet taking and sheet releasingoperations.

ln the particular construction selected to illustrate the invention, thegrippers 10 of the cylinder 1 are mounted on a shaft 11, this shaftbeing journaled in the ends of the cylinder as usual, and being providedwith an operating arm 12 which carries a roll 13. This roll 13 runs in agroove 14 of a closed or box cam 15 loosely mounted on the shaft 2. TheboX cam carries a stud 16 to which is connected an adjustable connectingrod 17 in turn connected at 18 to a cam lever 19 on a shaft 20. Thislever 19 carries a roll 21 which runs in a groove 22 of a cam 23 mountedon an operating shaft 24 which extends across the machine. In theparticular construction illustrated, this shaft 24 makes one revolutionto each two revolutions of the shaft 2. The effect of the cam 23 and theconnections before described is to shift the position of the box cam 15on every revolution of the cylinder 1. The position of the box cam atthe time the grippers 10 ofl the carrier have been opened to receive thehead of the sheet is shown in Fig. 2. As the cylinder' rotates from theposition shown in Fig. 2 the gripper-s 10 are caused to close down uponthe sheet and it is carried onvvard by the cylinder l until the partsreach the position shown in Fig. 3. l/Vhen the parts reach the positionillustrated in Fig. 3, the sheet held by the grippers 10 is about to betransferred to the grippers 5 of the cylinder 3, a second sheet being atthis time in position to be also taken by the grippers 5 and collectedwith the sheet on the cylinder l. At this time the cam 23 andconnections before described have shifted the boX cam from the positionillustrated in Fig. 2 to the position illustrated in Fig.

In the particular construction illustrated vvhat may be termed theopening part of the cam is marked a and what may be termed the closingpart is marked b. The opening part of the cam is given such shape that,as the grippers pass from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the positionshown in Fig. 5, they substantially folloiv the path of move` ment ofthe sheet receiving surface of the cylinder 3. The opening movement isfurther such as to cause the grippcrs l0 to move slightly faster thanthe movement of the sheet receiving surface of the cylinder 3, so thatthey not only release the sheet on the cylinder l but at the same timeare Withdraivn from between that sheet and the sheet With which it is tobe collected. By causing the grippers l0 to open in advance of what hasbeen termed the sheet releasing line as they take the sheet, plenty oftime is given them for their operation. Further, by causing the grippersto open to release the sheet just beyond the sheet releasing lineaccurate register of the two sheets to be associated is obtained.Further, as the movement of the grippers 10 in releasing the sheetfollows the path of movement of the sheet receiving surface of the othercylinder, the grippers 10 do not need to let go of the sheet until it istaken by the grippers 5 of the other cylinder, so that the sheet is atall times under control, and there is no liability of such registerbeing shifted. Further, by employing a single actuator a very simple andefficient construction and one which operates very easily is produced.

Changes and variations may be made in the construction by which theinvention is carried into effect. The invention claimed, therefore, isnot to be confined to the particular construction herein described andillustrated in the accompanying drawings.

lVhat is claimed is:-

1. In combination, a rotating sheet carrier provided with grippers, arotating sheet receiver provided with grippers to which the carrierdelivers the sheets, and means for opening the grippers of the carrierat one position in space in advance of the sheet taking line of thereceiver on one revolution and at a differentposition in space beyondsaid sheet taking line on the succeeding revolution.

Q. fln eomliination, a rotating sheet carrier provided with grippers, arotating sheet receiver provided with grippers to which the carrierdelivers the sheets, and a single actuator for operating the grippers ofthe carrier, said actuator operating to open the grippers at oneposition in space in advance of the sheet taking line of the receiver onone revolution and at a different position in space 1beyond said sheettaking line on the succeetfling revolution.

3. In combination, a rotating sheet carrier provided with grippers, arotating sheet receiver provided with grippcrs to which the carrierdelivers the sheets, and means for osciliating the grippe-rs on thecarrier to release the sheet as the grippers 0f the receiver closethereon, said means so oscillating said grippers as to cause theirsheetholdiug portions to substantially follow7 the path of movement ofthe surface of the receiver during and after the sheet releasingoperation.

4. In combination, a rotating sheet carrie).l provided with grippers, arotating sheet receiver provided with grippers to which the carrierdelivers the sheets, a single actuator for opening the grippers of thecarrier to release the sheet as the grippers of the receiver closethereon, :said actuator causing the sheet holding portions of itsgrippers to substantially follow the path of movement of the surface ofthe receiver during and i fter the sheet releasing operation.

5. in combination, a rotating sheet carrier provided with grippers. arotating sheet receiver provided with grippers to which the carrierdelivers the sheets, an actuator for the grippers of the carrier, andmeans for shifting the position of the actuator to cause the grippers toopen at one position in space in advance of the sheet taking line of ther lceiver on one revolution and at another position in space beyond thesheet taking line on a succeeding revolution.

6. In combination, a rotating sheetvcarrier provided with grippers, arotating sheet receiver provided with grippers to which the carrierdelivers the sheets, an actuator cam for the grippers of the carrier,and means for shifting the position of the cam to cause the grippers toopen at one position in space in advance of the sheet taking line of thereceiver on one revolution and at another position in space beyond thesheet taking line on a succeeding revolution.

7. ln combination, a rotating sheet carrier provided with grippers, arotating Sheet receiver provided with grippers to Which the carrierdelivers the sheets, an actuator cam for the grippers of the carrier,said cam being mounted upon and movable about the shaft of the carrier,and means for shifting the position of the cam to cause the grippers toopen at one position in space in advance of the sheet taking line of thereceiver on one revolution and at another position in space beyond thesheet taking line on a succeeding revolution.

8. In combination, a rotating sheet carrier provided With grippers, arotating sheet receiver provided with grippers, to which the carrierdelivers the sheets, an oscillatory actuator for the grippers of thecarrier, and means for oscillating the actuator to cause the grippers toopen at one position in space in advance of the sheet-taking line of thereceiver on one revolution and at another Copies of this patent may beobtained for ve cents each, by addressing the position in space beyondthe sheet-taking line on a succeeding revolution.

9. In combination, a rotating sheet carrier provided With grippers, arotating sheet receiver provided With grippers, to which the carrierdelivers the sheets, and means for opening the grippers of the carrierat alternately different positions in space on the side adjacent thesaid receiver during alternate revolutions of the carrier.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence oftwo subscribing Witnesses.

ELLIS W. COOPER.

Witnesses:

RICHARD KELLY, HAROLD M. TlLmNonAs'r.

Commissioner o! Patents.

Washington, D. C.

